Visiting Duo
by Joriel
Summary: Relena goes to see Duo.


Relena gathered all her courage, gave the gift in her hands one last look, and knocked on the door to the boy's safe house. Nervously she shifted from foot to foot as she fought the urge to flee before anyone could answer.  
  
The moment of that possibility ended abruptly as the door opened to reveal Heero's cool expression gazing down at her. He'd gotten tall in the last three years, and now she had to look up at him instead of strait. Duo and Trowa taller yet, while Quatre and Wufei were about eye level with her. It was comforting to know that the entire world wasn't towering over her.  
  
"Hello Heero, may I come in?" she asked tentatively, still uncertain about the wisdom of this plan. If what Quatre had told her was true...this could go very badly. What lengths would a person go to eliminate a rival? Reflexively her fingers clutched at the gift as if it could raise a shield around her.  
  
Heero grunted at her and stepped to the side. It wasn't the most gracious invitation she had ever received, but for this particular portal it was going to be enough. She entered the home with her head held as high as she could manage, trying to maintain an air of dignity and composure that she just didn't feel.  
  
She never felt like that. She'd seen the tapes of herself, gone over them hour after hour with Noin, Lady Une, and Quatre. They helped point out the places she faltered, helped her hone the image she showed to the world as she worked to maintain the fragile peace the Gundam Pilots had earned for her. They had fought their battles, now it was her turn. But she was tired of doing it alone, and today she was here to either claim the man who held her heart, or accept defeat with the false grace she managed on television and leave him to his true love, if it wasn't her. If it was his roommate...  
  
She looked up and met Heero's gaze evenly, amused at the wary light in his dark blue eyes. What did he think she was going to do exactly? Murder him with the gift bow? Her amusement faded abruptly as she realized that she was going to change his life one way or another today. Would he hate her after she spoke?  
  
"What do you want?" he finally demanded. "I'm a bit busy right now trying to work out the security schedules for your Paris tour."  
  
"Oh, that's fine, Heero," she replied sweetly, smiling at him. "I wasn't really here to see you anyway..."  
  
Heero frowned as her voice trailed off. What was she here for then? He would never understand the crazy Peacecraft woman.  
  
"I"m here to see Duo," she announced suddenly, trying not look like a crazed highschool fangirl at the mere mention of his name. Her fingers caressed the small box in her lap again.  
  
"Duo?" Heero replied almost stupidly, clearly thrown off balance.  
  
"Yes, is he home?" she asked quietly, meeting his gaze with her best blank gaze, refusing to give him any hint of her intentions.  
  
"Yes, I'll get him."  
  
Relena waited quietly when Heero strode out of the room, her stomach doing trips that could put Trowa Barton to shame. She hated being nervous. As if the sheer jittery feeling of being nervous wasn't enough, in her it manifested in this hateful nausea. It was hard to look serene and composed when you wanted to find the nearest toilet and wretch for twenty minutes. A slight smile curved her face, what would her detractors think if they knew that little truth?  
  
"Hey Relena!" a cheerful voice startled her out of her thoughts as Duo flung himself down on the chair across from her.  
  
She smiled at him, her eyes roaming his beautiful face. She had never thought that she would meet a man so beautiful and yet so masculine at the same time. He was  
  
still slenderly built, but no longer with the kittenish waif look he'd had at fifteen. At eighteen he had filled out in slender muscles and beautifully formed limbs that fired  
  
her nightly dreams. His silken hair still fell in the familiar braid to his butt, and she hoped it always would. Besides being a thing of beauty in and of itself, it gave her a  
  
good excuse to look at hit butt and not get caught. What would it feel like to be kissed by Duo Maxwell? To be held against him? To be held against him naked?  
  
"Hello Duo," she said softly, unaware of the husky note creeping into her voice as her wayward thoughts took over her mind.  
  
Duo leaned forward. He had been intrigued when Heero had said she was here to see him, and he assumed it had something to do with that strange rumor about him and Heero. How she would probably laugh at him if she ever found out the truth...  
  
Duo worked hard to keep his open, friendly look, when all he wanted to do was grab her and kiss her until she didn't even remember her own name, let alone Heero's. She was so lovely. Her hair had lightened almost to the fine white blond of her brothers, and she wore it in a layered cut that framed her exquisite face just perfectly. Large blue eyes peered at him, at once warm and friendly yet neatly hiding all her secrets behind that gentle light. The way she moved entranced him. He hoped he would be able to keep his eyes on her face, and not let them linger on the curve of her breast, or hips...  
  
"I'm sorry I missed your birthday party, I got stuck on the colony they shut the shuttles down to thanks to those idiot terrorists. I really wanted to go, but there wasn't anything I could do. So I told Quatre where your gift was, and I would ask if you got it, but you're wearing it," Duo babbled on cheerfully, trying to distract himself from how well the lovely blue shimmery sweater was clinging to her curves. He'd known it would look wonderful on her the moment he saw it, and promptly bought it. It had started a fight between him and Hilde, who assumed he was buying it for her. but he just couldn't help it. He'd tried to care about her...but it was Relena who had stolen his heart when he wasn't looking.  
  
"I know, Quatre apologized for you only...hm...two hundred times!" she laughed, smiling up into his violet eyes. "I um... Well, you see, I found these quite by chance, and I thought they were perfect for you. So I bought them when I had the chance...and I wanted to give them to you. Since...since it's Valentine's day." She blushed deeply, holding out the brightly wrapped cube.  
  
Duo's eyes widened as he took the box from her, his fingers lingering on hers just a moment to long to be casual. He was blushing slightly too, and turned his attention to the box to try to cover his confusion. She brought him a Valentine? Not Heero? What was going on? He tore into the paper, drawing a delighted giggle from Relena over his enthusiasm.  
  
"Oh wow, these must have cost you a fortune!" he whispered reverantly as he lifted up the pre colony music cd's.  
  
"They're from the 1980's," she interjected proudly. "And you're not supposed to worry about how much they cost!"  
  
Duo grinned at her, hugging the cd's to his chest for a long moment. She'd known exactly what to get him! He wasn't just window dressing in Heero's apartment! He lifted his eyes to meet hers.  
  
"Relean, why?" he asked softly.  
  
Relean took in a deep breath. Oh god, here is the hard part. "Duo...I bought that for you...because I wanted to give you something for Valentine's Day. Because I wanted you to be my Valentine." Relena motioned him to be silent when he geared up for another question, and continued softly. "I know everyone thinks I'm in love with Heero. I know I made a total fool of myself when I was 15 and chased him all over, even to Antarctica. And things have really been too busy for anyone to think about my love life, even me really. So it's not really surprising that no one noticed when I realized that my crush on Heero was just that, a fantasy dream that got me through the Hell times. But...along the way... I noticed someone else. Someone I could laugh with, someone I could cry with, someone I could just be me around and didn't bore him to tears. And that was you. And I realized...I'm falling in love with you. And you think I'm in love with Heero. So I just had to say something. But I won't stalk you, I swear. If you don't feel like this I'll just go away and..."  
  
"RELENA!" Duo called sharply, trying to get her attention as nerves took over and she was getting more and more worked up. He shifted from his chair to sitting next ot her on the couch, pulling her into his arms. He repeated her name more softly, reverantly. "Relena, I never know. If I had known I would have asked you out a long time ago, Little One."  
  
The next thing Relena knew Duo's lips were on hers, and that simple contact set her entire body on fire. She wanted more, she wanted to pull Duo into her forever.  
  
Duo smiled through the kiss as Relena's response showed her emotion clearly. She really cares! About me! A starving kid that managed to survive the plague is now kissing the woman the world still thinks of as it's Queen! Did I fall into a Disney movie?  
  
Relena smiled up at him when they pulled apart. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, really. I've...well..I've been in love with you since we met," Duo was blushing now, but smiling at her. "I just didn't think I had a chance."  
  
"Quatre said..." she began nervously. "Quatre said that he thought maybe you were in love with Heero, and this was a bad idea."  
  
Duo looked sad then. "No, Relena, I'm not in love with Heero. I wanted to be, I know how he feels. I'm not as clueless as people think that I am. But I just...just like Hilde I couldn't return it. I think I can only fall in love once. Heero and I talked about this not too long ago, and he let me go willingly. It's all okay. He'll be okay. And so will we."  
  
Relena smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes. "Thank Shinigami," she replied softly.  
  
Duo cracked up laughing, leaning down to kiss her again. He didn't know where the world was going, but he knew where he would be inside of it. Next to her. It was all he ever needed.  
  
Relena accepted his kiss, resolving to let tomorrow take care of itself. She was in Duo's arms, and she wasn't dreaming for a change. It was all she ever needed.  
  
Heero stared at the new couple sadly from his vantage point in the hall. He knew eavesdropping was wrong, but he wanted to make sure Relena wanted to see Duo for the right reasons. He knew that Duo was in love with her, he didn't need Duo to say so. They'd been friends for a long time. It hurt, deep inside him something was breaking. But it also made him smile to see Duo happy at last. Like Relena, he could let got of his first love and move on with his life.  
  
He silently blessed the couple and went up to his room. 


End file.
